Sarah Palin's mayoral SUV up for auction on eBay

This Nov. 7, 2013 photo provided by The City of Wasilla (Alaska) Department of Public Works shows a cardboard cutout of Sarah Palin in the 1999 Ford Expedition she used when she was mayor of Wassila, outside City Hall in Wasilla, Alaska. (AP Photo)

ANCHORAGE, Alaska – Sarah Palin's Alaska hometown is auctioning an SUV she drove when she was mayor, years before she skyrocketed to fame.

The small town of Wasilla listed the 1999 Ford Expedition with 74,188 miles on eBay Monday with a minimum bid of $10,000. The listing's photo shows the tan SUV with a cardboard cutout of Palin in the driver's seat.

A 1999 Ford Expedition in excellent condition at that mileage has a Kelly Blue Book value of $2,318 in the Wasilla area. But city officials are hoping Palin's role in history will bring out fans willing to pay a lot more.

"We put it out there to get a better return on taxpayer dollars by listing it as her car than just selling it 'as-is,'" Public Works Director Archie Giddings said Wednesday. "It may have some value to somebody ... knowing who had it originally."

No bids had been submitted as of Wednesday afternoon. The listing expires Nov. 27 at midnight Alaska Standard Time.

Palin drove the vehicle during her second term as mayor, which ended in October 2002. The cardboard cutout of her used for the eBay photo was borrowed from the local Chamber of Commerce, which has the life-size image on display for visitors, Giddings said.

After her stint as mayor, Palin went on to become Alaska's governor and Republican presidential nominee John McCain's running mate in 2008. She resigned as governor in 2009, about halfway through her first term.

Palin's mayoral vehicle was used by other city workers after she left office. Like other old city vehicles that become surplus, any money earned from the sale of the Expedition would go toward replenishing the city's vehicle replacement fund, Giddings said.

According to the eBay listing, the SUV is in storage and needs new brakes, wheel seals and an idle air control valve. The listing says the vehicle is being sold "as-is," with no warranty.